President Donald Trump welcomed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington on Tuesday as the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia makes his first White House visit since the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.

Trump warmly received Prince Mohammed when he arrived at the White House Tuesday morning for a pomp-filled arrival ceremony that included a military flyover and a thundering greeting from the U.S. Marine band.

The crown prince, for his part, soon announced that  Saudi Arabia was increasing its planned investments in the U.S. to $1 trillion, up from the $600 billion that the Saudis said they planned to invest in the United States when Trump visited the kingdom in May.

The U.S.-Saudi relationship had been sent into a tailspin by the operation targeting Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the kingdom, that U.S. intelligence agencies later determined Prince Mohammed likely directed the agents to carry out.

But seven years later, the dark clouds over the relationship have been cleared away. And Trump has tightened his embrace of the 40-year-old crown prince he views as an indispensable player in shaping the Middle East in the decades to come. Prince Mohammed, for his part, denies involvement in the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and Virginia resident.

Khashoggi was an afterthought as the two leaders unveil billions of dollars in deals and huddle with aides to discuss the tricky path ahead in a volatile Middle East. They'll end their day with an evening White House soiree, organized by first lady Melania Trump, to honor the prince.

The president dismissed questions to the crown prince about the journalist's killing.

“Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen,” Trump said of the international incident.

Trump, during an Oval Office meeting with the prince by his side, commended the Saudi leader for strides made by the kingdom on human rights without providing any specific detail.

“I’m very proud of the job he’s done,” Trump said. “What’s he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else.”

Trump's family has an interest in the kingdom. In September, London real estate developer Dar Global announced that it plans to launch Trump Plaza in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

It's Dar Global's second collaboration with the Trump Organization, the collection of companies controlled by the U.S. president's children, in Saudi Arabia. Last year, the two companies announced the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah.

Trump pushed back on the notion Tuesday that there was a conflict of interest.

“I have nothing to do with the family business,” said Trump on Tuesday, adding that his family has relatively little interest in the kingdom.

Technically, it's not a state visit, because the crown prince is not the head of state. But Prince Mohammed has taken charge of the day-to-day governing for his father, King Salman, 89, who has endured health problems in recent years.

Most foreign leaders who come to meet with Trump are driven up to the doors of the West Wing, where the president often greets them. But Prince Mohammed, accompanied by the Saudi prime minister, was welcomed with a formal arrival ceremony on the South Lawn.

Trump then showed the prince the newly-installed Presidential Walk of Fame that features gold-framed images of past presidents along the West Wing colonnade and a photo of an autopen signing the name of former President Joe Biden in place of the Democrat’s official portrait.

An Oval Office meeting and luncheon in the Cabinet Room will follow.

Trump will then see the crown prince off in the afternoon but he’s expected to return to the South Lawn, with the first lady, to welcome the crown prince when he returns for the evening East Room dinner.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese soccer great who is playing in the Saudi Pro League, is also expected to be at the White House on Tuesday during the crown prince's visit, according to a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.